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FARMLAND, THICK WITH corn and soybean, and emerald green fields, dotted with livestock rushed past the windows of Sienna’s Ford Explorer, blending in a whirl of inky green. The drive to Lexie’s new place was short but boring. Sienna need not fight to stay awake, however. Her thoughts, the whir of her emotions, and the events of last night were more than enough to keep her awake.
She lifted her paper to-go cup and took a sip of her coffee—cold. Grimacing she put the beverage down, then briefly checked her reflection in the rearview mirror. She wasn’t sure what she expected—her appearance to change in the two-hour drive?
Angry bruises bloomed, dark and ugly, against her cheek and the hollow of her eye. Her usually shiny blond hair, hung flat around her face, and her eyes clouded with fatigue and stress. Not a good look.
She averted her eyes, concentrating, once again, on the road. She didn’t want to see her reflection any longer, to stare down the physical proof of a life come undone. She still felt the throbbing ache and burn from the blows to her face. Despite everything she had learned about Brent, the assault had surprised her.
The first blow to the face caught her off guard. It knocked her back into the hallway against the wall. The breath flew out of her lungs, while her face screamed from the crushing pain where Brent had hit her. But he wasn’t done. He struck a second blow. This time, the upper part of her face and her eye caught the brunt of his backhand. He hit her with so much force, she fell to the ground. For a moment, everything went black, then red, before the slow return of the muted shades of her surroundings seeped into her line of vision. A buzzing rang in her ears, making it hard to think.
Brent had gone into the bathroom. She peered at the closed door, perking her ears, trying to listen for the running shower, but couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in her head.
She resisted the urge to crumple into a ball and cry. Instead, she closed her eyes, trying to focus her thoughts. She got up, slowly, trying to steady the tremors in her legs. Leaning against the wall, she slunk her way into the living room, then found her purse and dialed the police. She waited, hoping, praying, they’d get there before Brent finished his shower.
Less than ten minutes later, they knocked on the door. “Pittsburgh Police. We got a call—”
Sienna rushed to the voices and flung open the door before the officer could finish his sentence. There were two of them, clad in navy blue, guns and cuffs perched on their hips. The one that had been talking was young, possibly in his early twenties. His mouth was open, mid-sentence. They knew from dispatch that they were arriving at a domestic, but one look at Sienna, and he needed no further confrontation.
“Miss, are you okay?”
Sienna nodded, her expression weary. “Yes.”
When Sienna stepped aside, the officers entered—just in time for Brent to step out into the living room, still damp from his shower, in nothing but a towel. His gaze moved, knife-like onto Sienna face, sparkling with both amusement and disdain. His lips curled into a smug grin, no doubt ready to gloat over her inferiority, his victory.
She would not cower to him, however. Sienna planted her feet, her lips flattened into a fierce line. Her eyes burned back at him, hungry for retribution—for her, for Lexie. But her expression only made his grin widen—until the police officers stepped forward, into view.
His smile faltered, slowly eking away, like a deflating balloon. The surprise in his eye was quickly replaced by anger, fierce and pulsating. His jaw clenched, the muscles in his face working as he tried to mask his emotion. “What can I do for you, gentlemen?” he asked, trying his best to keep his voice light and accommodating. He failed, coming off prickly instead.
“We got a call in regard to a domestic dispute at this residence,” the young officer said.
Brent’s smile flattened as he glanced from one officer to another. “Is that so? Well, I’m afraid there must have been some mistake. As you can see, everything here’s fine.”
Icy fingers gripped Sienna’s chest, making it hard to breathe. What if they believed him?
The second officer, the older one, with graying hair at his temples, nodded towards Sienna. “It doesn’t look like nothing.” He turned to her. “Did he hit you? Did he do that?” he said, referring to the bruises that still throbbed.
The icy fingers slowly released their hold. “Yes.”
What happened next was a whirlwind. The officers separated Brent and Sienna into different rooms. Brent didn’t protest. He didn’t refuse to talk to the police, that wasn’t his style, though Sienna was sure he continued to deny touching her.
They questioned both of them, getting the full story of what happened from both sides. Sienna also told the officers about Lexie’s rape. They told her what she expected, that without the victim coming forward, or physical proof, there was nothing they could do. If Lexie decided to tell her story, however, they would launch an investigation.
The officer’s left her waiting in the living room, wringing her hands, nervous that she made a mistake calling them, that somehow Brent would slide out of this unscathed. Her thoughts quickly died when Brent entered the living room. The officer’s stood on either side of him, escorting him toward the door. His wrists were encased in handcuffs, the metal digging into flesh. “I’m going to call my lawyer,” Brent spat.
The officers ignored him. The young one turned to Sienna. “We’re taking him in, ma’am. He’ll be available at the jail for pick-up tomorrow.”
“He’ll be finding his own ride,” she said, voice tight.
“This is ridiculous. I didn’t do anything! I can’t believe you’re going to listen to her lies,” he said. Spittle sprayed from his mouth as he yelled. His lips curled back from his gleaming white teeth, making him look more like a wild animal than man. “This isn’t over, darling. You’ll regret this.” He thrashed violently in the officer’s hands. “You won’t get away with humiliating me like this.”
Her breathing rasped in her lungs as she imagined him breaking loose of the cuffs and ending her, but the officer’s tugged him through the doorway without a problem, even as he promised her, she’d pay.
Sienna stepped to the threshold, courage rising inside her, and when she spoke, her voice remained surprisingly steady. “No. You’re right. It’s not over. But you’re wrong about one thing. It’s you who will pay. I’ll make sure of it. For Lexie, for me, for all the women whom you either abused or fooled before us. You didn’t win, Brent. You didn’t break us.” She slammed the door in his face, thinking how fitting it was that the last memory of him she would have in their home, was in cuffs.
The honking of a horn brought her back to the present.
The memories were bright and hot, washed with the pain, fury, fear, and desperation of that night. Sienna turned the air conditioning off and rolled her window down. She needed the slap of moist air on her face, her skin, to push away the sharp edges of the prior evening and the bitter taste in her mouth that followed.
Brent would be released this morning. To Sienna’s knowledge (though that didn’t mean much because there had been a lot about Brent she hadn’t been aware of) this was his first offense. Despite his short stay in the slammer, she was grateful that the one night he spent in the jail, gave her the time she needed to pack some of her belongings and decide what her next move should be.
Sienna slowed by the pale blue Cape Code on her right. She double checked the address, then pulled into the drive.
So, this was Lexie’s new rental house. The place was quaint but cheery, the feel completely opposite of her contemporary apartment—a good choice for rebuilding a life.
Sienna stopped the car, took the keys out of the ignition, and held them in the palm of her hand. She steeled herself for the sight of Lexie, for the things she would have to tell her, all the things she should say, but maybe couldn’t. She thought of the last time she saw her. Lexie had been defeated, hollow. All because of Brent.
She stepped out of the car and brushed at the crumbs from the muffin she ate on her way there. Then without thinking, without analyzing what she would say or how—because if she did, she would never muster up enough courage—Sienna made her way up the walkway and rang the doorbell.
When no one answered, she glanced back to the driveway. Lexie’s car was a good indicator that she was home. Sienna hadn’t called before coming to visit because she knew her voice would betray her. Lexie would sense her brewing anxiety, her desperation, and Sienna hadn’t the strength to deny something was seriously wrong, nor did she possess the courage at the time, to talk about it, even if it were something that could be done over the phone.
She rang the bell again and waited. She thought about what she had to tell her, her knowledge that Brent—her husband—was her rapist.
Anxiety fluttered in her chest as she waited. By the time the door opened, she was a ball of nerves.
Lexie’s eyes widened. “Sienna, what are you doing here?” The words left her mouth as her eyes flickered over Sienna’s battered face.
Gasping, she covered her mouth with her hand, then tore open the screen door. “Come in here.”
Lexie half dragged Sienna into the house. Her eyes moved from her face, all over her body, clearly assessing the extent of damage, perhaps looking for signs of how her injuries occurred. She reached a shaking hand toward Sienna’s swollen face, touching a trembling finger gently over the bruises as a small whimper escaped her lips.
Sienna forced her eyes shut. She couldn’t bear it—the look on her friend’s face, the concern in her eyes, not when her own pain was nothing compared to the pain which Brent had inflicted on Lexie.
The moment she took her hand away, Sienna opened her eyes again. “Are you okay? What happened?” Lexie asked.
“I’m fine,” Sienna’s said, desperate, and slightly annoyed with Lexie’s concern. Because she didn’t deserve it. How could she not have known what her husband was capable of?
“I have some things to tell you,” Sienna said. She grabbed Lexie’s hand, and her expression seemed to ease. The worry creasing Lexie’s brow dissipated some, giving way to the pleasure of seeing her best friend, and for the first time since she opened her door, Sienna noticed the light in Lexie’s eyes, the healthy color in her cheeks.
The last time she saw her, the first time Lexie had told her she was raped, she looked as if all the life had seeped out of her. Something had changed since then. Something had clearly given Lexie some of her life back. She no longer looked like an empty, hollow shell. And Sienna wanted to be happy for her, but her apprehension at talking to Lexie about Brent overrode any pleasure she may have at Lexie’s improved appearance.
“I’ve been wanting to pay you another visit. I need to talk to you about something,” Sienna said. She didn’t want to alarm her any more than she already had. Lexie had been through enough of her own stress in the past months.
Lexie leaned in for a hug, and when they embraced, Sienna felt the bulk of Lexie’s stomach, round and firm, brush against her own flat midriff. She pulled back, finding it impossible to keep her gaze from moving to Lexie’s belly and lingering there.
Though Sienna had expected this to be hard, she wasn’t prepared for the seismic blow, as she took in Lexie’s extremely pregnant figure.
She was supposed to be the one pregnant—that was supposed to be her baby, her life.
Sienna swallowed, submerging her destructive thoughts back into submission. She had wanted a baby, a child, more than anything in the world. The recent event in her life, however, left her somewhat grateful she and Brent had never conceived. Children made for a much more complicated divorce. At least she would be spared from having to explain to her would-be children, that their father was a rapist.
Lexie’s forehead pinched with concern as she reached a hand toward Sienna’s face once more. “What happened. Are you okay?”
Sienna shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Lexie led her into the modest living room, where Sienna took a seat next to her on the sofa. Lexie shifted, moving until she finally found a comfortable spot around the girth of her stomach.
Sienna closed her eyes. This wasn’t the life she envisioned for herself, far from it. All she ever wanted was a loving marriage and children, but life seemed to be cruel—to her, and even more so, to Lexie.
Blinking her eyes open, Sienna began. “I know Brent did it, Lex. I know he was the one that raped you.”
The smile on Lexie’s face froze, and something akin to fear shadowed her eyes. “How do you know?”
“When I went to your apartment to pack your things, I found his cell phone under your bed. It must’ve fallen out of his pocket...” Sienna swallowed, willing away the images that began to flash across her mind—of Brent forcing himself on her best friend, of Lexie pleading, screaming. “I confronted him.”
“That’s how you got the bruises. He did that to you,” Lexie said. They were statements, not questions. If anyone knew the brutality Brent was capable of, Lexie did.
Sienna nodded. Her eyes stung, but they remained dry. Last night, after the police took Brent away in cuffs, she cried—for herself, for the life she had wanted but would never have, the life that was a lie, and for all the pain Brent had caused Lexie—until there was nothing left, until she ran her emotions dry, lying empty on the floor.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so, so, sorry. I should have known. I should have seen who he really was, but I didn’t. I was just so blind.” Sienna closed the gap between them and took Lexie’s hands in her own, her eyes pleading, her brow knotted.
“Stop. You had no way of knowing. I would have told you, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t be the one to destroy everything you had. And, I think, a part of me was scared you wouldn’t believe me.” Lexie bit her lip and looked at her lap. “I should have had more faith in you, but I was scared. He threatened me, and I just couldn’t find the strength to tell you. It was wrong because you had every right to know. You needed to know.”
Sienna held no ill will toward Lexie for not telling her right away. Although the idea of being married to him and not knowing what he did, scared her to the bone, she couldn’t even imagine being in her shoes.
“It’s not your fault. None of this is. And I understand completely why you were scared to tell me.”
“Really?” Lexie’s brow creased with worry.
Sienna reached out, smoothing, Lexie’s hair, giving her the absolution she needed for being afraid to tell her the truth. “Really.”
“We were both victims in this.” Lexie’s gaze slid over the bruises on Sienna’s face again before asking, “What happened?”
Wanting to spare Lexie the details, Sienna said, “He hit me a couple times. While he was in the shower, I called the police. They arrested him for domestic violence, and I got a Protective Order. It’s not much, but the order is at least something, especially since he’s going to be livid when he receives my divorce papers.”
Brent knew their marriage was over. Nevertheless, his ego and arrogance, no doubt, led him to believe that Sienna wouldn’t follow through and file for divorce. As a man who valued his image above all things, a divorce, especially a nasty one (and Sienna would be sure to make it lethal) would not bode well for him. Bleeding him dry and destroying his reputation in the process would be just fruits.
“Will he come after me? He said he’d come after me.” Lexie’s eyes glazed over, and her voice rose an octave.
“No.” Sienna stayed firm as she gripped Lexie’s hand. “He won’t. I know he deceived me, but his pride is too large to risk the possibility of the implications that may arise if he were to bother or harass you. He’ll leave you alone, I promise. I’m going to get him, Lexie. I don’t know exactly how yet, but I’ll make him pay. For both of us.” Sienna paused, needing to to tell her one more thing. “I wanted to tell you...” She gazed into Lexie’s eyes, needing her full attention, satisfied when their eyes locked. “He doesn’t know about the baby. I didn’t tell him.”
Lexie’s arm wrapped protectively around her stomach, cradling it. Sienna wondered if she was even aware of the gesture or if it was automatic. “You’re sure.”
Sienna nodded. “I was careful not to mention anything about the pregnancy. He knows nothing, but rest assured, even if he somehow found out, I’m certain he wouldn’t want anything to do with the baby. I’m pretty sure his “desire” to have a child, a family, was all a lie, just like everything else.” A sad smile ghosted over her lips. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he had somehow been deliberately keeping me from getting pregnant,” she said, fighting the tremor in her voice. “It’s important for you to know that when I confronted him, I didn’t tell him. I would never sell you out like that. Whether you keep the child or not, he’ll never have to know.”
“Thank you.” Lexi placed a hand over her heart, squeezing her eyes closed a moment before she cleared her throat and slid her arm away from her stomach. “What are you going to do now?” Lexie asked.
Sienna shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to travel more. Maybe once I make a hefty amount off the divorce, I’ll do just that.” Her lips turned up into a sly smile, eliciting a laugh from Lexie. “Really, I’m not sure. I’m ready for a change. I need to get away from any reminder of our life together. Maybe I’ll move out of the city. You’ve inspired me.”
Lexie grinned, and Sienna couldn’t blame her. Living anywhere but the city was hard to imagine. “Sienna Wallace goes country? I never thought I’d see the day. Maybe you could move up here.”
Sienna put her hands up. “Whoa. Now you’re getting a little crazy. I said out of the city, not to the middle of nowhere.” She laughed. “I wouldn’t mind being a little closer to you though. Maybe somewhere on this side of Cleveland. We’ll see.”
“If you need somewhere to stay in the meantime, you know—”
“I know.” Sienna grabbed Lexie’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You’ve always been such a good friend. I’ll consider the offer.” But she wouldn’t. It was clear Lexie had just begun to rebuild her life, to put the pieces back together. Sienna didn’t want to inhibit her progress or slow her down.
With a sigh, she stared at her dear friend another moment, before she resolved herself to leaving. She was fatigued, mentally and physically, beyond imagining. She needed some time to digest all that had happened, all she had learned. And she needed rest. “I’d better get going,” she said, standing.
Lexie walked her to the door. “I wish you could stay.”
“I know. I’ll come for a visit in the next few weeks and stay a night. Just not now. I need some time...”
Lexie nodded, and Sienna was relieved to see she understood. Most of all, she was glad to see her with a glow to her skin and a smile on her face. “You look good Lex. You look as close to happy as I’ve seen you in a while. I’m glad to have my friend back again. I’ve missed you.” With that, Sienna hugged Lexie one last time before turning to leave.
She paused in the doorway. The sun glinted off her hair, framing her in its warm light. She turned back around, and before she could think, unsure of what she was doing, or why she slowly reached a hand toward Lexie, she placed it gently on her round stomach. A half laugh, half cry escaped her lips. Tears flooded her eyes, and then she smiled. And for the first time since she had found out about Brent, she made some semblance with it.